New Delhi: 9 April 2024

In a surprising statement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that the intervention of the central government has saved Manipur from its prolonged ethnic strife. However, this claim rings hollow as the PM himself has not uttered a single word about the grave situation in the northeastern state nor made any efforts to visit or meet with representatives from Manipur.

The PM’s remarks come amid escalating violence and tensions in Manipur, where ethnic clashes have claimed over 120 lives and displaced tens of thousands since early May. Despite the severity of the crisis, Modi has remained conspicuously silent, making no statement of concern or announcing any central relief measures.

Opposition parties and civil society groups in Manipur have decried the PM’s recent comments as nothing more than empty poll rhetoric. With general elections just a year away, they accuse Modi of paying lip service to the Manipur issue only to posture as a leader intervening in the crisis, without any substantive actions on the ground.

“It is a disgrace that the Prime Minister chooses to make such cavalier statements about saving Manipur when he has been utterly missing in action,” said a Manipuri activist. “No one from the central leadership has even bothered to visit or understand the ground realities we are facing.”

Modi’s comments have been seen as an insult to the suffering of the people of Manipur amidst the continuing mayhem. Critics argue that true leadership would involve taking concrete steps toward peace and reconciliation, rather than reducing the crisis to a politically-convenient talking point.